Out-Of-Bounds? NBA Star Kevin Johnson Pushes Hard As Point Man For Hawaii Energy Project 6 Johnson, a two-time-mayor of Sacramento, has pressed state officials to support the controversial Hu Honua biomass project on the Big Island.
Jennifer Potter was settling into a new job at the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission when a high-profile visitor paid her an unannounced call.
It was August 2018 and Hawaii’s governor had appointed Potter as a commissioner on the PUC. An influential quasi-judicial body, the three-person commission regulates powerful industries including telecom, energy and transportation.
One month into her job, Potter was at her desk when an administrative assistant buzzed her line. A Kevin Johnson was there to see her.
She didn’t know who Johnson was, but the new commissioner told the secretary to let him in.
Johnson, a three-time National Basketball Association All-Star and a two-time mayor of Sacramento, California, walked into Potter’s office and sat down. Potter admits to being a tad starstruck after learning who Johnson was.
“I thought wow, here’s an NBA star and former mayor, you know. How cool I get to meet this guy,” Potter said. “I learned the hard way over time.”
